Lowey, School Officials Warn of Cuts in Federal Education Funds

Local school officials joined Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Rockland/Westchester) in White Plains Monday to speak out against possible cuts in federal education funding.

Lowey said that a Republican proposal would reduce the education spending bill by 22 percent in 2014.

"If we want to remain a global leader, we need to help today's students become tomorrow's entrepreneurs and innovators," Lowey said. "We should give our students and teachers the tools to succeed, not make their jobs harder through increases to classroom size and reductions to personnel and enrichment programs. That's why Congress must come together to agree on a fair and balanced budget plan that invests in our students' futures."

South Orangetown Central School District Superintendent Dr. Ken Mitchell, who is the president of the Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents, warned that cuts in federal funding would hurt he students who need the most help.

“Over the past four to five years, school districts in New York and the nation have absorbed significant funding cuts that have translated into program elimination and erosion," Mitchell said. "With an aggressive national and state education reform agenda and legislative efforts to restore funding following the nation's deep recession, sequestration cuts will be a setback to any progress that has been made, “The most vulnerable of our students - pre-school, special needs, and those needing remedial services - will be most affected.”


According to Lowey's office, non-defense funding decreased by 5.3 percent as a part of budget duts known as "sequestration." Schools in Rockland and Westchester Counties stand to lose approximately $4.4 million from two federal programs, Title I and IDEA Special Education grants, both of which support at-risk students. Title I focuses on improving academic achievement by disadvantaged children and IDEA grants to to the education of children with disabilities.

"A five percent cut to the already underfunded federal allocation may not seem substantive to those unfamiliar with the school funding reality in New York State," said Lisa Davis, executive director of the Westchester Putnam School Boards Association. "But these cuts come on the heels of annual school district cuts since the 2008 economic downturn and New York tax levy limit legislation, which constrains our ability to raise revenue to balance rising costs or cuts such as these,”

“The loss of funding through the sequester and other cuts creates a perfect storm of negative consequences,” said Port Chester Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Frank Fanelli, “Districts like Port Chester find ourselves with no pathway to meet the needs of children who desperately require additional help to perform at the new proficiency levels.”